Spellbound
by Callisto Star
Summary: (rare Usa-Lupin!) Legend speaks of nine Seeds and nine Soldiers who will rise from the walls of Hogwarts. Harry & co. set out to solve the Riddle of Rowena, while lonely Remus watches from afar, neither realizing how soon their world will unravel...
1. Beginning with the End

**BEFORE YOU READ: ** I recommend you check out my one-shot **"Moonshadow"** which explains more about Lupin and Usagi (you wont see the two of them here for awhile).  Also, **"The Gathering Starlight"** (LotR/SM) tells what would happen if CHAOS won this Last Battle.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o****

.

AN:  About a month and a half ago, I randomly published a one-shot fic called "Moonshadow".  It was the first Usagi/Lupin pairing I've ever heard of, and it was a success.  People kept bugging me for more, so finally, after weeks of planning, thought, and debate, we have "Spellbound", the continuation of "Moonshadow" (not sequel, cause you can't really sequel a one-shot).  Yes, this fic is separate, but it would still be a good idea to check out "Moonshadow", especially to understand Lupin's thoughts in chapter 2.

Another warning:  I have read Order of the Phoenix, and though I didn't like some of what happened, I will generally be staying true to the cannon.  If you haven't finished the book, it would be a good idea to do so before reading this fic.  Beginning with chapter 2, there will be spoilers galore.  You have been warned.

The beginning will "mirror" another new story, my second LotR/SM crossover called "The Gathering Starlight".  Actually, it's more of an Alice in Wonderland "looking glass" effect- the same sheet of glass separating two very different realities.  In other words, the event that occurs in the beginning of this fic has two possible endings and two different victors: Cosmos or Chaos.  Read on to see more.  "..." is talking, '...' is thought, [...] is AN or definition, (...) is extra info but part of the fic, ... means trailed off, -- means interrupted.  Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.  Enjoy.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Oh the pain.  The pain beyond feeling, thought, or meaning.  The pain of loneliness, the pain of emptiness.  Nothing.

Nothing was left.

How she wished she could turn back time.  Or more correctly, how she wished the timeline still existed.

It was gone.  Everything-- past, present, and future-- was obliterated.

Yes, Chaos was finally gone, but at what cost?  She cursed his memory, cursed him for killing off her devoted senshi to spite her.  Killing them off so that she was forced to watch them die, writhing in pain, one by one, again and again, just like before...

And then she could take it no longer.

Yes, he had lured her, but it was she who caused the destruction.  She, who let loose the fury of anger at the loss of her loved ones.  She, who caused Chaos to unleash his full power to battle with her.  She, who caused the Balance to topple and such an excess of power to be exchanged that the entire universe collapsed.

The guardian of the cosmic order creating chaotic disorder.

She cried silent tears in the nothingness, with no one left to hear her.  The starseeds of the senshi remained (Chaos had been careful not to destroy those powerful crystals which he'd coveted for so long), glimmering dully in the emptiness.  With a cry, Cosmos gathered them to herself.

"There is hope," she whispered to herself as she held their crystals close, willing herself to believe it.

But even as she spoke the words, she could feel her life ebbing away.  The skeleton of the universe, slowly killing her.  The Balance, willing itself to be restored, even over this dead dimension, through her demise.  [AN: With the lack of a Cosmos or a Chaos (or anything for that matter)]

'Even after all the fighting,' she thought with resignation.  'Even after all the pain, all the loss, all the sacrifice, all the suffering... still it ends like this.'

'After all they risked for me,' said another part of her as she held the crystals tighter.  'After they gave everything for me, till the bitter end, I will give up on them like this.  I will do what they never did and stop fighting and--'

"No," she said with her whole being.  "No, I can't let it end this way.  I won't let it end this way!  We must leave.  We must get out of her before the Balance kills me!  Pluto... Puu once spoke of other worlds..."

"Ginzuishou," she whispered her final plea, "take me away.  Take us away.  Anywhere.  Take us anywhere, only somewhere where I may finally have rest."

"Forgive me for what I have done, O Fates!" she cried out in the last instant.  "But, I beg you, please let us find peace!"

In a flash, she was gone.  Dimension-6732 was no more.

But even as she disappeared, the Tapestry changed.  An entire section unraveled, the old threads falling to a heap of the floor.  But a stray golden thread and eight others shifted across the cloth to intertwine with others in a world of flying cars, half giants, and a boy with a lightning-shaped scar.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

AN: Hmm... the explanation of what happened did turn out better with Chaos conquering (and it was less cliched!).  So I encourage you to read "The Gathering Starlight" to better understand what's happening in the beginning.  And never fear: There's no LotR mentioned yet.

The last part, the image of the Tapestry, was modified from the cloth of the ages in Orson Scott Card's "Alvin Maker" series.  (Wonderful books!!)  Go read them sometime.

Please review and tell me what you think!!!!!!  Domo arigato, minna-chan!  And though the beginning seems rather cliched, the rest will be unlike any HP/SM fic I've ever seen.  Ja ne!

Calli-chan

Pairing suggestions are welcome, but I am devoted to making this the first ever full-length Usagi/Lupin fic (all the other senshi are still open!).  There will be complications and drama, of course, but that will be the ultimate pairing.  Thanks minna!


	2. The Loss

ARGH!!!! First Word keeps messing up the text, and then ff.net decides to fail!!! ::screams in frustration:: Gomen for the delay. I have been trying to get this up for over a week. And sorry for any weird errors that occur...

AN: WOW!!!!! Thank you everyone for the overwhelming response! I was so thrilled to hear that so many people were interested in such a short amount of time! And so many ideas for pairings!!! Wow!!! Domo arigato minna-chan!!!!

Review responses can be found at the bottom. 

"..." is talking, '...' is thought, [...] is AN or definition, (...) is extra info but part of the fic, ... means trailed off, -- means interrupted. Enjoy!

****************************************************************************

Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling. He stared at nothing. He tried to think of nothing. He didn't want to think. Only pain came from thoughts, as it was only one memory that kept rising in his mind. So he kept his mind as blank as possible, thinking only of the soft summer breeze that blew through his window. 

A soft flurry of wings signaled Hedwig's return. She would be bearing the latest letter from the Order, no doubt. Let's see, it would be Moody's turn now. Was there any point in reading it? They all said the same thing: _How are you Harry? Everything is fine here. And remember- stay safe and stay sharp. _Yes, that would be Moody's message: Constant vigilance.

Harry took the letter from Hedwig's leg, but he didn't bother to open it. Instead he rolled onto his stomach and stared out the window at nothing. 

No one understood what he was going through. No one. They wrote him stupid meaningless letters that ended up shredded for the bottom of Hedwig's cage. None of them understood what it was like to loose your parents and then loose the closest thing you've ever had to a parent. No one understood.

Harry rolled over and curled up, trying to block his mind from such painful thoughts.

~o~o~o~

A hundred miles away, someone did understand. Looking at an old graduation picture, Remus couldn't stop himself. A tear slid down and splattered on the frame. 

He had lost them. He had lost them all. Usagi had been first, one of Voldemort's first victims, cornered by a gang of Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. Witnesses had said he had tried to convince her to join him, but she refused and they destroyed her. And then, Lily and James were murdered. Murdered because their friend betrayed them. Wormtail- corrupted to evil and the pawn of Voldemort. And now Sirius...

Remus looked down at the picture of the six of them again, holding back a cry. Yes, he was truly the last... 

****************************************************************************

AN: Wow. Gomen nasi for the extreme shortness of this chapter. It was originally intended to be a HP prologue, but still... Never fear, my chapters are rarely this short.

Unfortunately, it might be awhile before we truly see SM again. If you are reading The Gathering Starlight as well, you might figure it out early. . . all I can say now is the senshi won't truly be senshi for awhile. There will be puzzles and such as stuff that relates to SM, but it might be several chapters before we see any of those characters again.

And now to Review Responses!

**SilverStarlightAngel** - ::blushes:: Yeah, I seriously need to revise some of those early fics. I was rather shocked when I went back years later and realized what I had written. Bad Calli-chan! And as for the pairings... really not positive what I'm doing yet, but you have some wonderful suggestions. Originally planned on making all the senshi (minus Hotaru) adults, which would kinda rule out a pairing with most of the students. And there are some good canon pairings that I could draw out... ::wink:: And JKR did make some big R/Hr hints in the 5th book. Mwhaha!! And I would definitely put Harry with Ginny rather than with Cho... sorry Cho. And wow!! So many wonderfully interesting and unique pairing suggestions! Thank you so much! I will seriously consider these...

**Sunshine Fia **- Thank you so much! I'm flattered that this is your first HP/SM fic, especially considering this is the first I've written. And about Usagi... let's just say that her life in the HP world was one of many lives before Tokyo and the SM world. And you will find out a bit more this chapter. Enjoy!

**Silver-Star** - LOL!!! It's so much fun to have multiple personalities! ;D

**moon crastal **- WOW!! Thank you for all the pairing suggestions. I won't guarantee anything, but there are several appealing ones there... ::wink:: Thanks!

**Kawaiibaka** - Yeah, isn't Orson Scott Card amazing! My all-time fav author, right after Tolkien. ;D And Lupin... I really don't think words can describe the pain he must feel at the loss of another friend. I'm gonna try to put it into words for this chapter, but... we'll see. And I think you have a good point about Sirius. I haven't really finalized what I'm gonna do there. I really love old Padfoot and would hate to have him gone, but at the same time I don't want it to be fake. Either way, he will be absent for at least the majority of this fic. And also, I don't really understand what is wrong with using '...' to express clear unspoken thoughts. Honestly, I don't use this much anymore (usually I just write), but occasionally when a character is 'speaking' clearly in his silent thoughts, I use them. (does that make any sense? ^_^") Thanks so much for your time and your suggestions!

**Chibi-Cola** - ::glomps Bill and Charlie:: Yeah, I love those guys, almost as much as I love the twins. I'm probably gonna keep up the Bill/Fleur thing (not that that will stop certain senshi from flirting!), but Charlie is available and would make a great pairing with someone. Sounds good!

**Sailor-Destin** - yeah, I was also very disappointed with how JKR killed off Sirius. But for the beginning at least, I will stay true to the canon to show the effect of his death on everyone. But we do have a senshi of Death and Rebirth, don't we? Perhaps this might change in the future... ::wink wink nudge nudge::

**teashi** - wow!!! That's a lot of pairings and a lot of good ideas. I can't guarantee all of them (and I was thinking that I would keep Haruka and Michiru together if anything), but we shall see... Thank you so much for all the wonderful suggestions! 

**Loopy Lu** - LOL!!! Thank you so much! ^_^" We'll see about the pairings... I did think Hotaru would be with one of the main characters, but I haven't decided who yet. 

**Brightness** - Hmm... Hotaru/Harry would be very unique... we shall see...

**Kolinshar Jackie-chan Benito**- This crossover archive is great!!! I love all the detail and the pictures and the background and everything... if only I could knew enough html to make my old site so amazing!

**Dilkara**- Oh! Sorry bout that. ^_^" I don't know why it does that... cause I have two separate lines of ***, but when I upload ff.net often makes it one long annoying line. The words didn't spread that way, though, did they?

**Zaeria**- yes, she will retain her memories of both those lives and countless others. But her 'appearance' will not be what we have come to expect in HP/SM fics... ::wink::

**lovelydarkness **- aww, thank you! I guess that means I have my own personal bodyguard, ne? ::wink:: Domo arigato!

Thank you also to:

**DaughterofDeath**

**JaminJellyBean**

**Kiwi**

**The Wind and The Sea**

**silver-wolf03**

**Queen Diamond**

**MoonFaith**

**Sailor Millenia**

**Fallen Dragon**

**RavenChickMoon**

There was a huge variety of responses to the pairings, so nothing is finalized yet. We'll see what you all think after you see what the senshi are like...

Thank you for reading and please review! Domo arigato minna-chan! Ja!

~Calli-chan

P.S. If you hate the lack of Padfoot as much as we do, check out and join the S.A., also known as Sirius' Army. (ARGH!!! Word keeps messing up the site address! It's at geocities.com with a backslash then padfootlives/sirius_army.html ... Sorry I couldn't just make it an easy address. Argh! Baka Word! If you want an easier link, let me know and I'll email it to you.) 

It's not much now, but it will eventually grow to be an archive of all kinds of pro-Sirius works. PADFOOT LIVES!!!

P.S.2 And if you want to be notified via email for when I next update, let me know and leave your email in a review. Thanks minna-chan! Ja ne!


	3. Back to School Blues

AN: ::cowers from angry reader:: Erm... meep?

Sorry for the delay. I actually had the chapter written, but I've been busy with various summer assignments and a production of West Side Story (it was AMAZING and now it's OVER!!! *cries*), so I didn't get to type it till recently. Once again, I'm trying to follow the basic idea of the books, so this chapter is mostly HP stuff, though there are a few loose SM references. Review Responses are at the end. "..." is talking, '...' is thought, [...] is AN or definition, (...) is extra info but part of the fic, ... means trailed off, -- means interrupted. Enjoy!

***************************************************************************

The landscape was flying by as the Hogwarts Express sped through the country. Harry could hear Ron and Hermione chatting beside him, but he was in no mood to talk. He curled up by the window, staring at the scenery, silent and pensive.

The summer was uneventful, considering Voldemort was on the move. Had he not been so depressed, Harry would have realized that this had probably been the best summer he'd ever had with the Dursleys (though that's not saying much). The family he'd despised for so long was still frightened of the dementor attack from the previous year and let Harry have his space. No one ever made him do anything, and Dudley was almost afraid to touch him, let alone be in the streets with only Harry.

The annual invitation came from the Burrow, of course, but Harry declined. Though he loved the redhead family, he craved silence and solitude rather than happy mayhem. He didn't fell ready to deal with a mass of other people yet, not others that _knew._

Ron and Hermione had tried to treat him the same as always, but Harry could tell that under it all they were very concerned about him.

A knock came on the door of their compartment. Ron slid it open to see the kindly witch pushing the cart. "Want anything, Harry?" Hermione asked as the two headed out to fill their pockets with sweets. Harry made no response.

"Here, have a frog," said Ron, tossing Harry a Chocolate Frog as they returned to the compartment. "It's good for you."

Nonchalantly, Harry opened the foil and broke open the frog. A card glittered up at him.

"Whoa..." he uttered softly as he raised the card.

"Harry?" asked Hermione, as the two moved towards him.

Silently, surprise etched onto his face, he turned the card for the others to see.

A familiar man looked back at them. His hair was brown and his skin was pale, but had he only been pearly and transparent, he would have been a perfect replica of Professor Binns, their History of Magic teacher.

Hermione read the caption aloud. "Horatio Binns, though not known for any great deeds, is considered by many to be one of the greatest scholars of magical history. Though it is an understatement to say that Binns lacks the power to captivate his audience, he knows things about history that most wizards forgot before they learned them. Binns is also very devoted to his profession as professor at Hogwarts, and when he passed away seventeen years ago, his spirit continued teaching. Binns is still respected for his insights among the ghostly community."

Ron looked up, his face white with shock. "Wow, Harry. I had no idea a Binns card even *existed*."

Hermione looked flustered. "I had no idea Binns was such a prominent figure. I really wish I had paid better attention during his lectures."

Ron scoffed. "C'mon, Hermione. Even the Frog people say it's an understatement to say Binns is boring. I mean, that class was created for snore time!"

Hermione hmphed and Harry almost smiled. Almost.

Ron was still eyeing the card. "Uh, Harry?" he said cautiously. "Uh, that card must be ultra-rare, right? And, uh, I... er... I bought the frog. So, err, I was wondering..."

Harry smiled for Ron's sake and offered the card. "But I get to keep the chocolate."

Relieved, Ron smiled. "Sure thing, Harry."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry was relieved to see Hagrid calling for the first-years again when they got off the train. He wondered what had happened to Grawp, but he wisely didn't say anything to Hagrid.

Nearly all the carriages were full as the trio walked towards the back for open seats. Hermione and Ron climbed in as Harry stared at the wild-eyed threstal before him.

"Thanks," he murmured, patting its mane lightly. The beast nickered softly.

"They really are marvelous, once you get to know them," said a voice by his ear. Harry spun around to see the strange Luna Lovegood staring at him. He shrugged and climbed into the carriage, as she followed.

The ride to Hogwarts was uneventful. Luna babbled about a legend of some sort, doubtless the topic of her father's latest issue. Hermione rolled her eyes, but smiled politely.

Almost everyone was inside when they reached the castle. The foursome jumped out and hurried towards the murmur of voices, Harry lingering for one final glance at the strange horses.

Harry hurried up the great steps and through the entrance hall to the Great Hall where the Sorting would begin in moments. Suddenly someone grabbed him and pulled him aside.

"Harry!"

He fearfully stared at the strange woman who had pressed him against a wall. She seemed to be about middle-aged, but her hair, in two loose pigtails, was gray and her face, stern.

"Uh... can I help you?" he asked, having no idea who she was or what she wanted.

"Harry!" cried the woman with exasperation. "It's me! It's Tonks!"

Harry stared at a loss for words. He could hear the Sorting begin, but he didn't care. Suddenly, something snapped within him, and he glomped the woman. She was taken by surprise, but she patted his back awkwardly.

"Well, it's good to see you too, Harry."

"But how-- why are you here?"

Tonks smiled. "Ministry's orders. As Hogwarts is one of the largest centers of wizardry and the home of his arch-enemy, the Ministry assumes Hogwarts is pretty high on You-Know-Who's hit list. Sure, it's protected, but with so many kids who can't even wave their wands properly, let alone defend themselves, the Ministry decided that some extra protection would be a good idea. So a group of us Aurors were sent here to watch over this place through the year. Kingsley is here, too, and Remus--"

"Professor Lupin?!" interrupted Harry incredulously.

"Yep," said Tonk. "He'll be teaching again, but-- wait, I've just spoiled the surprise. Sorry 'bout that, my mouth ran away with me. You better hurry inside, now. Dumbledore will be making the announcements and starting the feast soon. I'll see you around, Harry!"

Harry waved goodbye and hurried inside.

The first thing he noticed upon nearing the Gryffindor table was that nearly everyone wore the same expression on their face. An expression of surprise and wonder and... was that fear?

"What did I miss?" he asked as he sat down.

"The Sorting Hat," Ginny murmured, still staring at the old hat on the head of one of the last first-years. "I'm wondering if it's still working."

"Last year was weird enough, with all that unity stuff, but this...?" Ron trailed off.

"What do you mean?" said Harry, more confused.

"The Song," explained Hermione. "It wasn't... normal. For one thing, it had a strange eerie rhythm. But for another . . . Harry, it never even mentioned the houses or anything. It was all about some weird prediction of the future and all the darkness and evil and terror that will come. But then it spoke of hope and a prophecy-- No, I don't think it's the same one, Harry. This was something about a search... I don't know. But it said, 'From these walls will rise up the only hope for the wizarding world.' And something about watching the 'blue flame'. It was spooky, Harry."

McGonagall was taking the hat away, and Dumbledore stood to address the Hall. "Welcome, welcome everyone to a new year at Hogwarts. Firstly, it would do everyone well to note that the Forbidden Forest is strictly off-limits. This is a matter of personal safety, and I advise you that if you value your life, not to venture into its depths.

"Secondly, I would like to welcome our host of Aurors who have been provided by the Ministry for your extra protection during these dark times.

"Thirdly, please welcome back Professor Hagrid, Professor Trelawney, and Professor Firenze, who have resumed their teaching positions. Professor Trelawney will be teaching Divination to students from third- to fifth-year, and Professor Firenze will teach Advanced Divination to the students in sixth- and seventh-year.

"Also returning to our faculty this year is our dear Professor Lupin." Enthusiastic but scattered applause met this last remark, and many looked around fearfully. But Dumbledore understood their fears that a werewolf, considered a dark creature, would be at Hogwarts. "Never fear, for Professor Lupin is one of the kindest men I know and very tame, even in his condition. But for your reassurance, an Auror will be present during his classes at all times." Harry frowned, assuming this was something Fudge had insisted on. But Professor Lupin didn't appear to mind.

"And finally, I'd like to congratulate our very own Professor Binns for his appointment as chairperson of the International Ghostly Convention in Transylvania. Professor Binns will be away for the first part of the year, so I'd like to welcome your new History of Magic professor for the first semester, all the way from Japan. Please give a warm welcome to Professor Naru!"

**************************************************************************

AN: FINALLY, enter SM. I don't know Naru's last name, but then again, how many people would recognize her if I used it? I admit, originally this position was gonna be filled by an older Chibi Usa, but I decided it would work better this way. Naru will teach History of Magic quite different from Binns... ::wink:: And for those that are wondering, International Ghostly Conventions are rare, but when called they are very important for each ghost to attend for at least a little while. So currently, Hogwarts is empty of all its ghosts except Myrtle (who sulked and refused to go) and Peeves, who doesn't really count. ;D The conference this time is about the threat of Voldemort and how the ghost community will respond.

And now, Review Responses!

**Loopy Lu**- I *think* Sirius will be back *eventually*, but it will all be part of the plot. Cause I don't understand JKR's reasons, but that was just plain e-vile!

**The Wind and The Sea**- I have a bodyguard! Woohoo!!! ::cheers::

**Serenity Silvermoon**- ouch! Yeah, work's no fun. And I'll have to check out your fic!

**Lady of the Forest-** Honestly, I'm kinda weird with how I plan my fics. I get ideas at the randomest times, so I scribble them down on scraps of paper. Then later I go back and think about the best way to pull it all together and start more notes. In the end, I have piles of colorful scraps of paper. ^_^" Works pretty well for me though, weird as it is. Personally, I've never liked outlines too much. Reminds me too much of research papers. Ack!

**Lost-star3**- Hey, thanks for checking out my Sirius Lives site! Sorry there's so little there now, and the email doesn't work and everything. ^_^" Lol, and you're review was amusing. ;D

**Midnight Lilly**- Interesting pairing idea... Snape will get someone, but it's still up in the air as to who...

**AngelDust159**- hmm... interesting idea, but I don't think I'm gonna use a Dark Cosmos here. Thanks anyways!

**Chibi-Cola**- I dunno, Bill/Fleur is kinda funny. I dunno how long it will last in this fic, but we shall see...

Thank you also to:

**Fellow**

**Sailor-Destin**

**wha?**

**setsuna-3000**

**Usagi Asia Maxwell**

**DaughterofDeath**

**Dark Universe**

**Kiwi3**

**Crescendo**

**kara**

**Skittles the Sugar Fairy**

**Moon's Heart**

**Moonprincess202**

**Momentum**

Shaiala Rialle 

Thank you everyone and *please* review. Ja ne, minna-chan!

~Calli-chan


	4. The Legend of the Nine

AN: ::hits computer with a frying pan:: Technology seems to be getting all great and wonderful, but then it crashes and it's worse than the stone age. ARGH!!!!!!

My internet has been crazy for the past two months, and I've been only able to get on for little bits, if AT ALL (which happened more often than not). Gomen nasi, but this was beyond my control. THE MATRIX!AGENTS AND SQUIDDIES ARE MESSING WITH MY COMPUTER!!!!!!!!!!! (or maybe it's just Mero-man or the Amazing Multiplying Smelrond!)

And it's still not fixed yet. *fume*

But as it is, here is the new chapter (finally... I've been trying to add it for weeks!). Sorry about the delay. Short of last time: Harry and gang were off to Hogwarts, discovered a Binns frog card, "..." is talking, '...' is thought, [...] is AN or definition, (...) is extra info but part of the fic, ... means trailed off, -- means interrupted. Review responses at the bottom. Enjoy!

*************************************************

  
Following the start of classes, it wasn't long until Harry wasn't the only one noting the subtle changes of Hogwarts. The classes were all right (Potions was torture, Transfiguration was endless work, and History of Magic now seemed a bit more interesting with the Asian flare Professor Osaka). [AN: Domo arigato everyone! This is Naru FYI.]

But there was something else, something below the surface. The entire atmosphere of Hogwarts had changed. It was still cheery and carefree on the surface, but below . . . . It was Neville Longbottom, surprisingly, who best put it into words.

"It's like everything's anxious and waiting," he said. "Like everything's all tensed up one of those Muggle springboards [preparing to dive in for a swim race], waiting... waiting for _something._"

Harry knew what that 'something' was. It started with a 'V', ended in an 'oldemort', and wanted him dead since he was born. And he doubted that mere Aurors could hold him back, now that he was openly attacking innocents.

The entire wizarding community was shocked and fearful when they first heard of Voldemort's first strike in fourteen years, only a few weeks after Fudge had declared the truth. The victims were a Muggle family of four-- a plump father and a skinny mother, along with two boys-- one large, and one quite scrawny. Harry didn't have to be a genius to see the connections and realize Voldemort's malicious warning to Harry of his imminent doom.

After awhile, people were able to temporarily forget about Voldemort's attacks and move on with life; after all, only a few random Muggle families had been touched thus far. He would never come to them. He wouldn't dare to attack full-fledged wizards and witches... would he? [In their hearts, the people knew the truth. But they didn't dare think the dreadful thoughts, for fear of the chaos of 14 years ago. Yet each secretly dreaded to come home one night and find the Dark Mark hovering over their house, and their family, dead...]

But Harry couldn't move on. He felt as if everything was his fault, ever since Sirius fell...

He shook himself free of his thoughts and tried to focus on the assignment in front of him-- interpreting a star chart from the Middle Ages. A new comet had been sighted, due to be within view from Earth for tonight only, and in honor of the occasion Professors Sinistra and Osaka had given the students a joint assignment. Harry looked over at the scroll beside him, where he was supposed to be writing about the sightings of comets and their significance as omens during the Middle Ages. He measured the paper quickly and found himself still six inches too short. With a sigh, he gave up and rolled up the scroll, hoping that Sinistra wouldn't be collecting the essays tonight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"And did you know that in 904 AD, a comet sighting was the most important event of the year, and was the only thing written for that year in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle?!" [AN: Not sure if that's the *exact* year. If not, I'm probably only off by one or two.]

Hermione continued to babble facts as the trio wandered up to the Astronomy Tower with some other 6th years. Professor Sinistra had called for special class sessions in order that the entire school might get a good view of the comet while it flew by. Harry's group had been assigned to 6:10 PM, only a few minutes after the sunset. It looked like it would be a late dinner for them all.

He tuned out Hermione's babble, assuming that Ron was paying close enough attention. (Ron was smiling and nodding, but actually he was plotting his new strategy for Gobstones). Harry gazed at the portraits of old nuns and kindly matrons, halfheartedly wondering what it would like to be a mere picture.

" 'ave you 'eard...?" he suddenly heard one of them whispering to another.

"Yes.... the Prophecy . . ."

He stopped fully on the step, Neville running into him, and stared at the gypsy woman and man who were talking rapidly in whispers. Many of the portraits at Hogwarts had been whispering a lot to each other recently, but Harry had never before been so sure of what he heard. "The prophecy?" he uttered, breathing hard. "What do you know of the prophecy?"

The gyspy woman stared at him strangely for a moment, before breaking out into loud guffaws. "Oh non, silly boy!" she said in accented English, between laughs. "Not your prophecy. *Ze* Prophecy."

Harry looked at her blankly.

"The Legend of the Nine?" tried the man, seeing the lack of comprehension. The Mistress of the Stars?" 

Harry stared at him as if he were crazy.

"Non, Nikki. 'e does not know. And eet is not our place to tell. Come, ve must go." The woman quickly whirled around in her dark gypsy cloak, and the instant Harry blinked, they were both gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~

An hour later, they were trudging down the stairs towards the Great Hall. The comet had been magnificent enough, Harry had to admit, but a large amount of his awe was replaced by annoyance at being placed in the same small group as Draco Malfoy. But neither Professor Sinistra nor Professor Osaka (who had also come to view the comet) had noticed. Although Harry managed to hold back his temper, Malfoy's constantly irritating remarks to Crabbe and Goyle caused the night to lose some of its magic. That, accompanied with the pangs of hunger, made Harry rather short-tempered. 

There were soft voices coming towards them as Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville hurried down the stairs. The voices of gossiping ladies, Harry realized as the painted eighteenth-century ladies came walking through the portraits on their right. Harry paid them no heed, but just as they passed, he heard a high-pitched voice say, "Now would be a good time for that Prophecy to be fulfilled."

"That is, if you really believe in the Legend of the Nine," said another voice of the gossipers as Harry swung around. But they were already gone, walking through another picture somewhere up the stairs. His stomach grumbled and he turned away, but his mind was abuzz.

"Hermione?" he called, as he ran down to the other three who were a few steps below him. "What is the Legend of the Nine?"

  
Hermione looked puzzled but deep in thought. She opened her mouth several times, as if to say something, but then shut it again, realizing that was not the answer. But before she could utter the three words that would bring down her Know-It-All career, another voice came to her rescue.

"Maybe I can help you, Potter."

The four spun around to see Professor Osaka descending towards them. "I am the History of Magic professor, after all," she smiled.

"Professor!" they cried all at once.

"You know about this Legend of the Nine?" asked Harry after a moment. "The portraits keep murmuring about it, but they won't tell what it is or--"

"Yes, Potter," interrupted Osaka. "It is a very old prophecy that few remember today, save those that lived nearer to the time. Perhaps Sir Nicholas or one of the ghosts would have explained it to you, but as it is, they are all with Professor Binns in Transylvania.

"It is an old legend," continued Osaka, "a prophecy uttered with a dying breath. Rowena Ravenclaw's last words on her deathbed."

There was a sharp intake of breath from the four listeners as Osaka's words hung in the air. A prophecy from a foundress of Hogwarts! They barely breathed as they waited for Osaka to continue.

"She was the last of the Founders. And as the Legend goes, she received a vision in her last moments. No one knows exactly what she saw, but it is said that she foresaw Hogwarts in its glory, hundreds of years later. But there was darkness, too. And as the vision subsided, Rowena turned to her son beside her with an ethereal expression on her face, and said..." Osaka paused briefly, savoring the dramatic emphasis, while the four listeners almost fell over in suspense.

"_The Days of Darkness will come, when all is doom and despair, and everything seems lost under the lengthening Shadow of Evil. But Hope will arise from the within the walls of Hogwarts itself, Nine Hopes to counter the Darkness and preserve the Light."_ Osaka's eyes shined strangely as she stared at the ceiling above, a strange sad expression on her face. After a moment, she looked down and smiled, completely normal again.

"Many thought the prophecy would be fulfilled shortly after Rowena's death, but as the years passed, uneventful, people began to refer to the fulfillment with wistfulness whenever they experienced hard times, more out of habit than of any belief that it would come true. So now you know," she said. "And now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some dinner." With that, she hurried down the final stairs, leaving the four student stunned on the step. Ron's stomach grumbled loudly, shaking them out of their stupor and they soon followed her quickly down the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[And because I feel nice, I will continue on from here, where I was originally going to cut off. So feel grateful!]

The Great Hall was not as deserted as Harry had suspected. The Ravenclaw Quidditch team appeared to have just gotten back from a practice, and were eating hungrily. Hufflepuff was nearly deserted, but a few late-comers were there (including Hannah Abbot and Justin Finch-Fletchley), taking their time and enjoying themselves. Gryffindor and Slytherin tables consisted of the few 6th years who had come from the Astronomy Tower and a few other underclassmen. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and now Osaka were at the staff table, but the other teachers had gone. 

The house-elves had kindly put out some fresh food for the 6th years, so that they would not have to suffer with cold turkey. All in all, dinner was quieter than usually and rather uneventful.

Until the end, that is. Harry was almost ready to head upstairs, when there was a clamor outside and Flinch came hurrying in, carrying something. His face was white and pinched from running, but he didn't wear his victorious and vengeful expression. Instead, he looked terrified. 

He stopped and stood, panting, in front of Dumbledore. "Headmaster!" he cried. "Look!" He thrust out his hand so that Dumbledore (and the rest of the Great Hall) could see what he held.

It was the Goblet of Fire, Harry was positive. He'd never forget that horrible object that made his life miserable in his 4th year. But strangely, it was lit. The blue fire was cackling energetically, almost as if it were ready to spit out names, as it had two years ago.

"I don't understand, Mr. Filch," said Dumbledore slowly. "What happened?"

"I didn't do nothing, Headmaster! It was stored safely away in my office, locked up and hidden. But suddenly the cabinet started shaking and smoking. So I open it up, and I find the casket flung open, and the Goblet sitting there, blazing like this!!"

Dumbledore took the Goblet and set it on the staff table, looking at it strangely. The other teachers, alarmed, were standing by his side. "I wonder what could make it ignite itself," he murmured, "and on a non-Tournament year at that!"

But suddenly the Goblet answered for itself. The blue flame suddenly shot up and changed to a jet black. The candles of the Hall seemed to dim or darken entirely as the Goblet became the focal point of Light. Faster than the human eye could follow, the black flame suddenly changed, cycling through ever color of the rainbow. Red, green, yellow, blue... Harry couldn't follow it. But suddenly it reached a gleaming white-silver and flared up even higher, arching towards the ceiling it seemed. In a split second, it fell to its original height and five slips of parchment shot out of the flame in opposite directions before the flame went out entirely, leaving the Goblet empty.

Harry grabbed the scrap of paper that fluttered down to Gryffindor table, as three others were snatched by Cho Chang, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Draco Malfoy. Harry looked at the paper, but it said nothing; it was merely elegant thin lines of ink scratched onto the yellowed parchment.

He looked up in confusion to see Professor Osaka holding the longest piece in her shaking hand. Her white face contrasted with her red hair, but her voice was strong as she read it:

_"Wind, water, fire, earth; death, life, time, purity;_

_Wisdom, kindness, friendship, love; strength, power, devotion, loyalty._

_Eight are we, the fabled seeds,_

_We shall arise when there is great need._

_Gathered together for truth, justice, and Light,_

_The Last shall come to vanquish the Dark might."_

Osaka looked up, her face whiter than snow and eyes shining strangely, and promptly passed out.

*************************************************

AN: Thus it begins. Thank you again to everyone who provided me with Naru's last name (I really need to buy myself all of the manga and study it more closely ^_^'). Onto Review Responses:

**Birdgirl**- Ah yes. Losing the internet. CURSE THIS BAKA TECHNOLOGY!!!!!!! And you *should* post more soon. ::glares::

**Loopy Lu**- Lol! You may be getting Ned Kelly, which I admit I have never seen, but I'm planning on seeing RotK on Dec. 16! So ha!!! :-P

**Chibi-Cola**- Lol! Binns and interesting in the same sentence! ^_^' He'll be back eventually, but you'll see that Naru has an important role to play first... And I'm so glad you appreciate my originality! That was one of my major goals with this fic. Domo arigato!

**Skittles the Sugar Fairy**- ::grins evilly:: Well... what do you mean by 'come to Hogwarts'? If you mean, Will I have them transfer from Japan like countless other cliched fics, the answer is a big fat NO! But they will eventually be at Hogwarts... ::wink:: Hints were in this chapter. ;D

**Lanc**- Yeah, Luna Lovegood will be here. She'll be one of the ones helping the trio solve this riddle... hey, maybe I'll even create a Luna/Draco pairing! LOL!!! ^_^' Well, you never know and I honestly have no idea about pairings. But I marked yours down for the voting booths! Domo arigato!

**PallaPalla-chan**- Thank you! I was actually very surprised when I had so much trouble finding a Usagi/Remus fic. I mean, the whole 'opposites attract' thing usually thrives on ff.net! (see the DBZ/SM section for more details ^_^') But why not here? It just seems ideal to me... Lunarian and wereworlf... hey, why not! 

**Shaiala Rialle**- Honestly, I haven't decided on any of the couples beyond Remus/Usa. Voting booths still open! I'm leaning towards more romances with adults though... but I would very much like to make several romances with the students as well. Hmm... I really don't know. ^_^'

**Usagi Serenity Yui Cosmos**- And here I thought this was the only Remus/Usagi fic. ::pouts:: Do tell me of the others, as I have been looking for them for awhile and have yet to find them.

**Sunshine Fia**- You shall see... if you haven't realized the hints already, Naru will be a *very* different teacher from Binns. ;D

**Eternal Cosmos**- hehe. Well, define 'soon'. Let's just say there's a long-ish process that must take place first. If this were really one of the books (and I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible), Serenity would be summoned near the end and I'd probably stop that book and start another at this point. But as this is really a fanfic, I plan to just keep on writing. Whee!!! 

Thank you also to:

**DevilWench **

**x3-staRr3e-x3 **

**DaughterofDeath **

**Zaeria**

**Lunar Neko-chan**

**Tanya Dinocrisis01**

**Brightness**

**evilofgab**

**Tkiwi**

Leeanna-Marie-Malfoy 

The Riddles begin next time! And let me know of any pairings you'd like to see-- cannon or x-over. Haven't decided anything for the other senshi yet, but they will definitely be appearing soon. Domo arigato for reading and *please* review! Ja minna-chan!

~Calli-chan


	5. Moon Letters

I do hope this chapter turns out all right. This new ff.net formating is driving me insane!

AN:  Well, it's been an awfully long time.  ::angry readers growl and hurl tomatoes::  Eep!  I'm sooooooo sorry for the delay.  I haven't been able to write at all since... winter break I think.  xP  This year has been absolutely insane.  I had the beginning of this chapter sitting on my computer for the longest time, but I was unable to touch it.  :'(

Summer at last.  And with Prisoner of Azkaban in theaters, I thought it was definitely time to update this.  (haven't seen the movie yet, how is it?)

So before I am beat up any more, here's chapter 5!  "..." is talking, '...' is thought, [...] is AN or definition, (...) is extra info but part of the fic, ... means trailed off, -- means interrupted.

(**Last time** Prof Osaka/Naru/Molly explained the Legend of the Nine, Rowena Ravenclaw's last prophecy as Nine Hopes that would rise from Hogwarts.  Filch freaked out and ran into the Great Hall with a burning Goblet of Fire, which spat out 5 slips of paper, with illegible markings.  Osaka passed out.  ")

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.oo.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

The common rooms were buzzing that evening.  After the initial shock, tongues wagged freely and rumors flew about Osaka's fainting spell and the meaning of her eerie voice.  The slips of paper and strange actions of the Goblet of Fire seemed forgotten to all, except a select few.

In the Gryffindor common room, Harry sat quietly in a corner.  Cautiously avoiding any eager eyes, he turned the slip of paper over again to examine it more closely.  He stared at the markings carefully, glanced at them from far away, scratched the paper, rubbed it, and even sniffed it.  Still, he could discover nothing.  The faint delicate lines across the parchment remained meaningless.  Harry groaned in frustration and threw off his glasses.

"Oi!  'Arry!" cried Ron, making his way slowly through the crowd after completing another enthusiastic detailed tale of the Goblet and the weird spirit that seemed to come over the Japanese professor.  In truth, he had been basking in the glory of being one of the few that had witnesses the strange incidents in the Great Hall and wanted to nurse the attention to its fullest before it died down.  He was smiling widely, but stepped back quickly at the sullen look on Harry's face.  "What's eating you?!"

Harry simply glared at him and thrust out the paper.  Ron stared at him questioningly, but then recognition dawned on his face and he took the paper. "Oh, this little thing!"  He turned it every direction and looked at it from odd angles. "Think it means anything?"

"I'm positive that it does!"  Harry almost snapped.  Ron glanced up, alarmed by his attitude, but Harry caught himself and tried to compose his frustration. "It's just... this is what happened last time.  With the Egg.  I'm sure it means something; the Goblet of Fire doesn't throw out papers every time it has a fancy to.  And now the Goblet has chosen me again and given me some obscure piece of paper with scratches on it!  How am I supposed to know what it means!"

Behind them, a book suddenly slammed shut.  Startled, Harry and Ron jumped up quickly and turned around to be met with a glaring Hermione.  "Obviously the two of you paid no attention to Osaka or anything that she said tonight," she declared haughtily.

"What are you talking about?" replied Ron angrily, returning her glare.

"I'm talking about the Legend of the Nine.  Portraits aren't stupid, you know."

This meant nothing to Ron and Harry. "And...?"

Hermione sighed with exasperation, and began in a patronizing voice. "Sure, Osaka said many people automatically refer to the Legend when time are bad, but I think there may be more to it this time.  I suppose I can assume that you weren't listening close enough to what Osaka said in her trance either, when she read from _her_ slip of paper.  It wasn't the greatest poem, but its message was clearly there.  Seems like some other hopeful message at first, talking about all the 'eight's.  But in the final line, just before she blacked out, she said: 'The Last will come to vanquish the dark might'."

Harry and Ron still looked at her blankly.

"Oh c'mon guys, the math is simple!  Eight elements, eight characteristics, eight seeds.  But then one more, one which seems mightier than the rest!"

"The Legend of the Nine," uttered Harry softly.  He'd almost forgotten about it, until Hermione had made the connection.

"But how does that help us understand this paper?" asked Ron sullenly, still grasping the slip.

"I'm trying to figure that out," said Hermione as she plopped back into her chair and opened her book again. "I got this book from the library just after it happened.  Madame Pince led me to some forgotten corner where the older books on legends lay, and I found this."

Hermione held up the ancient book for them to see clearly.  The rich navy blue covering was caked with the dust of the ages, and the thin binding had nearly broken to pieces.  The silver lettering had almost completely faded from the front, and Harry and Ron could barely make out the title: _Lady Lumeria_'_s Legends & Lore_.  Hermione skimmed quickly, and the handwritten pages rustled noisily.

"Lumeria began her book by explaining her ancestry and scholarly rank among the wizarding world.  She claimed some obscure relation to Ravenclaw, which is what called this book to my attention.  Pince tried to dissuade me from checking it out because of its age and small size, but I was insistent.  Lumeria seems to catalog legends and oral tales that have been passed through friends and family on to her.  Ah!  Here were are: 'The Legend of the Nine'."

Hermione read carefully.  "_ 'The Legend of the Nine, also called The Prophecy, arose from Rowena Ravenclaw's final and most insightful use of foresight at the time of her death.  Inscribed by her son, the original documents have been lost, but the hope of the Legend itself lies at the heart of every wizard.'_ Then she goes on for awhile again, flaunting about how she is some odd indirect descendent through some aunt's cousin or something.  Here we go again: _ 'After nearly a century of devoted work toward the education of young wizards, Rowena Ravenclaw died in the night, not long the moon had set and the last stars were fading into the morning sky.  Some have attributed her final vision to her love and bond to the moon and the stars.  A few radicals even claim that the 'Nine Hope's of her vision will arise from other worlds and come to earth's aid.  Such an idea, however, is contrary to Rowena's own words.' _"

The trio was silent for a moment, and the sound of a Friday night common room reached their ears. "I still don't understand how this helps us with the paper," said Harry at last.

"I know it's not much," said Hermione, betraying a hint of her frustration, "but it's all I could find on short notice.  But I think there is something more here, something more than just a haughty lady from nearly a millennium ago."

"Like what?" challenged Ron.  "This book has told us even less than Osaka did!"

"Well, the whole mention of the moon and the stars, for example.  It seems odd that someone would bother to mention such a miniscule fact.  Maybe Lumeria is just obsessed with astrology, I don't know.  But I think that maybe Ravenclaw's love of the night sky might be a key to the Legend, maybe something that was common knowledge at Lumeria's time so no one bothered to write it down, but it has been lost over the ages."

"You're being cryptic again, Mione," warned Ron with a smirk.

"I'm just hypothesizing.  I was hoping I'd be able to find some kind of translation code in this book, but clearly Lumeria had no thoughts for such a thing.  So I'm left guessing on the little that we have."

Meanwhile, Harry was lost in his own thoughts.  Hermione's mention of the night sky had triggered something... but what?  Something someone had said, someone had whispered...

"Hermione!" said Harry suddenly, interrupted their argument.  "The Mistress of the Stars!"

Now it was Hermione (and Ron's) turn to look confused. "The portraits, they spoke of The Prophecy and the Mistress of the Stars!"

A light dawned upon Hermione and Ron.  "But..." said Ron cautiously, "they could have just been referring to Ravenclaw, right?"

"Ravenclaw in relation to the Legend!  Harry, what if the Mistress of the Stars _is_ the last 'Hope', the greatest one?  What if Ravenclaw is the Mistress of the Stars?"

They were silent as Hermione's words seemed to echo through the room.  Even the wild laughter of the common room seemed to fade away. "Could Rowena Ravenclaw really have prophesized her return?" wondered Harry out loud.

"We have to ask Osaka," said Hermione with excitement. "She should recover by tomorrow; she only passed out after all.  And she clearly knows more about this Legend, more than she lets on."

"Will she answer though?" mused Ron cynically.

"There's only one way to find out," smirked Hermione.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

But Osaka could not be found the next day, nor the following.  Instead, the trio filled their free time searching through ancient texts in the dusty corner of the library.  However, few books mentioned the Legend at all, let alone provided a translation guide or more information than Lumeria had.

Professor Osaka arrived late to class on Monday, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione were forced to wait until the conclusion of the class to approach the professor.  The gossip about the events of Friday night had died down, and Osaka didn't mention it.  She merely continued her lesson on the alphabets and writing styles of ancient magic cultures, specifically runes.  Hermione carefully noted the different types of moon-letters in her notebookÑone, _Lunavidere_, inscribed upon parchment and especially maps, whose runes would only appear when the parchment was held up to the light of a full moon, another, _Lunapetra_, which was inscribed on many ancient monoliths and during the right phase of the moon when the light shone down upon a certain face of the stone, would reveal a doorway or written secret of the tribe.  Osaka paid special attention to the final and rarest type_Lunalingua,_ letters written in the long lost runes of Lunarian, whose meaning could only be understood today when read through moonlight.  She glanced strangely and meaningfully at Harry during the final part of the lesson.

As the bell rang, Harry, Ron, and Hermione struggled against the crowd towards Osaka's desk.  She slowly looked up from her notes at the anxious trio.   "And how may I help you?" she asked politely.

"Professor, we need to know who is the Mistress of the Stars," said Hermione quickly.

Osaka paused a moment, but her freckled face did not appear surprised.  "Who?  I believe your question should be 'where?', for now at least.  But as it is, I cannot answer that question."

The faces of the trio visibly fell.  "But surely you know, Professor!  You are so studied and knowledgeable in this area!" cried Hermione.

Osaka glanced at them knowingly, but did not directly reply.  "Many things have been lost to history," she said slowly, her usual meaningful voice gaining even more weight.  "But the Mistress of the Stars will not be found through the discover of her identity.  There is a great search you and others must begin soon, before it is too late.  You hold the map already, but must learn to use the compass," she said cryptically.  Then she smiled as she stood and gathered her notes to leave.  "Perhaps you should pay more attention to my lessons."  With a final grin and a wink, she turned to leave the room.

"Professor!" the trio cried after her.

"Good afternoon," she said cheerfully as she left the classroom.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

As Osaka recommended, Hermione went carefully through her well-kept notes from History of Magic.  However, nothing seemed to mention Ravenclaw or the Legend of the Nine at all.  She sighed in defeat as she reached the last page of notes once more.  How could runes help them?

Then something clicked in Hermione's mind.  Runes.  A forgotten alphabet.  "Harry, let me see that paper!" she cried quickly through the open door of her dormitory.

Harry and Ron hurried upstairs quickly at the sound of her call.  "What was that about?" Ron asked peevishly as they hovered on the threshold of the room.

"Oh come on in," said Hermione with a bit of annoyance.  "No one will really care if you're in here or not.  Now let me see that paper!"

Harry slowly drew out the slip of paper he now carried in his pocket.  The markings remained unchanged, but there was a new light in them to Hermione.

"Clearly not _Lunapetra_ and I doubt it's _Lunavidere_, but there's a chance," she mumbled to herself.  "But no, if this is what I think it is... What's the phase of the moon tonight?"  she asked outloud suddenly.

"Waxing gibbous," said Ron promptly, "almost full."

"Perfect," said Hermione with a smile. "Let's hope for no clouds.   Tonight, we visit Hagrid."

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

AN:  Hope I didn't batter the Latin too much there, eep.  And FYI, I got the idea for the first type of moon-letters (_Lunavidere_) from Thorin's map that Elrond reads in The Hobbit.  :D

Review Responses!

**erika** - Opps!  Sorry this has been so confusing!  "  The history of Magic professor is Naru Osaka aka Serena's friend Molly.  There's more to that coming in the future, so I can't say more.  And as for Usa returning... well, think of it as different lives.  In one life, she was born into the HP world but killed by Voldemort.  She was born into another and claimed her role as Cosmos, and now.... we shall see.  ;D  Thanks!

**Mystical Jade**- LOL!!!!!  I know, I'm evil and I love cliffhangers... except when I'm the reader.  "  Sorry it took so long to get back from the cliff lol.****

**Skittles the Sugar Fairy**- ACK!!!!  I hope your computer is better!  ****

**Lanc**- Heh, yah I think it would be awesome to learn History of Magic... provided that you have an exciting professor.  And as for Rowena being the last... honestly I dunno why I chose her.  I have always thought of her being the last (Slazar running away and dying after awhile; probably Godric next, tired out from battle; then Helga dying like an old peaceful grandma; and finally Rowena, exhausted in old age and wisdom, slowly fading away...)  Almost wrote a Founders fic once, and I guess this idea stayed with me.  And thanks for the pairing suggestions lol. 

**Kagome-Chan4**- yeah, I need to get some DADA in here, just cause Lupin is so amazing.  It's coming soon.  And as for the senshi... you won't see them waltzing in as the characters we love from BSSM... not yet at least.  They will come, but it will take time.  There will be glimpses first, then as they are all gathered, they will become more than just spirits or memories...

**Kitoky**- Sorry that Lupin/Usa will take so long.  :(  It will come, I promise!  :D

**Winterfirepixie**- I've decided that for both these fics (Spellbound and The Gathering Starlight), the seeds will be the seeds of the senshi proper.  There's a chance he might show up in this fic (and possibly ChibiUsa too) in a similar way that Naru did, however.

**Eternal Cosmos**- Lol, I can't wait for Cosmos to come either, but it must take time.  I have it all planned out in my head however.  :D  I only hope the chapter will appear as grand as I plan it...  And I hope that I can coincide her arrival in The Gathering Starlight with this fic.  Twould be really kewl lol.  :D

**Zaeria**- LOL!!!!!!!!   I dunno though, I've become very fond of my frying pan.  I'll keep a mallet handy though.  ;D  And yes, riddles are coming.  yay!  "

Thank you also to:

**physicschik  **

**x3-staRr3e-x3**

**Sushi**

**Tsuki no Tenshi **

**delete.the.stars**

**Moon-n-Universe-Goddess**

**Mayumi-8805**

**the caffiene fairy**

**Moonprincess202**

**raine84**

**Mistress**

**Celestial DreamBlaze**

**DevilWench**

**Brightness**

**Chibi-Cola**

**Vittaria**

**Birdgirl**

Thank you all for your patience and dedication.  Hopefully, with school now out, I will be able to write more often.

... Then again, with 11 unfinished fics (and more ideas that I have to restrain myself from) and a service trip and summer assignments, not to mention my Trip to England (SO EXCITED), who knows?   '

Lol, thank you all.  Ja ne!

Calli-chan__


	6. Riddles

AN:  You gotta admit, the delay wasn't nearly as bad as it has been.  In fact, I think I did quite good knocking this chapter out.  Unfortunately, it forced me to put aside musings over Memories of You... so those DBZ fans might coming angrily wielding frying pans.  You have been warned.  :D

Same deal as usual.  Hopefully I'll be able to publish another Gathering Starlight chapter at the same time I publish this... they do go together after all.  So be sure to check it out.  Huzzah for summer!  Enjoy.

..........................................................................................................................................

The Hogwarts doors creaked open later that night.  A nearly silent, invisible figure slipped out and hurried across the lawn toward a hut on the edge of a great menacing forest.

A hand reached out and knocked upon the wooden door.  As the large wild head opened the door suspiciously, a hood was thrown back and three faces grinned back at Hagrid.  Fang barked inside, and Hagrid hurriedly let them in.

"Hope yer not wantin' me to help you with yer Magical Creatures homework," the giant-man said with a grin as he set a pot over the fire to boil.  After a moment, his duty as professor returned to him.  "Wait a minute, what're you three doin' out of bed!  Security's ben upped, ya know, and it's fer yer own good 'n' safety!"

"We need your help, Hagrid," Hermione said quickly.  "We think we have a paper with _Lunalingua_ on it, and we need to figure out what it means."

"Luna- wha'?"

"Lingua.  Professor Osaka said it could be understood when read through moonlight."

"Ah, that stuff.  Well, the moon's ben slow in risin' lately, but it shouldn't be too much longer till it's over the Forest.  'N' yer lucky cause it's been a clear night so far, though I hear that there's rain comin'."

The trio politely declined Hagrid's homemade treats as they waited, insisting that they were quite full.  Harry absentmindedly rubbed Fang behind the ears.  Hagrid seemed to be chatting about something, but inside Harry was so impatient to understand the strange markings that the conversation meant nothing.

Hagrid's little dragon clock chimed 11PM.  "The sky does seem a bit lighter," commented Hagrid.  "Let's go see where she is."

The four trekked out into Hagrid's garden.  The moon still wasn't in sight, but a shaft of moonlight reached over the top of the forest to the corner of the garden.  Harry hurriedly headed over to the corner and pulled out the paper.

The parchment seemed to glow under the silvery white light.  The strange markings- Lunalingua runes, Harry corrected himself- seemed to jump out of the paper, sparkling with a silvery coloring.

Yet though the symbols seemed to dance, they still remained illegible and unknown.  Harry sighed in defeat.

"Ho now, what's this?" said Hagrid, the last out of the cabin.  "If I remember my lessons right, ye need more than a bit of moonlight.  Try the big orb, up there."

Harry turned and looked up.  The moon was riding high in the sky, having just cleared the roof of the Forest.  Harry lifted the parchment high, holding it so that the moon was behind the paper, shining through.  The four held their breath as they waited for something to happen.

Then slowly something else appeared on the scrap of parchment.  The action was so unobtrusive that if one hadn't paid the utmost attention, he wouldn't have noted a difference.

Yet now distinct Roman letters stood out on the parchment.  Harry allowed himself to breathe again and scanned his eyes over the now legible delicate lettering.

"I show not your face but your heart's desire," he read slowly. "Out of the ashes, I will rise from the fire."

His face scrunched as he brought the paper down.  "What is _that_ supposed to mean?" complained Ron.  "It has nothing to do with _anything_, just a load of hogwash!  And a horrible poem at that!"

"A piece of a poem," said Hermione slowly.  Her face was confused, but she was thinking hard.  "No, a piece of a riddle.  Osaka read the beginning of it from her piece of parchment.  This continues the riddle."

"But what is it?" asked an exasperated Ron again.

No one answered him.  Instead, Harry held the paper up to the moon again and stared closely at the writing.

"The first line makes no sense of course," he said, "but the second... Mione, is it only me, or does that sound just like the description of a Phoenix?"

Hermione smacked herself on the head.  "Well of course!  How could I not have seen it!  It's the most notable aspect of any Phoenix- that after bursting into flames at death, it will be born anew out of the ashes."

"But the first line doesn't sound anything like a Phoenix," said Ron, still confused.

The trio was silent, unable to comprehend what the strange jumble of words might mean.  Would this direct them to a certain Phoenix?  Would it tell them what not to do?

"Maybe it's not about the Phoenix at all," said Hagrid at last, "but about some other thing entirely."

Hermione's face brightened.  "That's it!  Osaka's riddle, that was just the introduction!  But this, this is about finding the actual eight seeds.  Well, two of them.  Each line must be a clue for a certain seed!"

"Well tha's all fine an' dandy," said Hagrid roughly, "but why are ye searchin' fer these seeds er whatever ye call 'em?"

"It's an ancient Legend," began Hermione slowly.

"And we think it's crucial to save Hogwarts," added Ron eagerly.

Hagrid looked skeptical.  "C'mon," said Harry.  "Let's go back inside and we'll explain what we know."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was long after midnight when the Trio snuck back into their dormitories.  Even then, none could rest.  Harry and Ron stayed up long into the morning, whispering in their pajamas.  Naturally, none-- even Hermione who did attempt to sleep-- were rested in the morning and the three were utterly exhausted.  Naturally, they had Double Potions first on Tuesdays.

The three arrived in the Dungeon room grumbling.  Snape made some usual sarcastic remarks to Harry, which sent the Slytherins into hysterics, but Harry was too tired to defend himself.

Luckily, he was soon rescued by a timid third-year, who entered the classroom bearing a note from the headmaster.  Snape looked at Harry and Ron dangerously, seeming to foam at the mouth, but was forced to let the two boys go.  Hermione looked pleadingly after them, hoping the be released as well, but the note was not for her.

The boys arrived at the gargoyle to find Professor Lupin waiting for them with a grim expression on his face.  "Fire sticks," he said promptly, without a word to the boys.  The gargoyle leapt aside and the three hurried up to Dumbledore's office.

.

The old headmaster was waiting for them, looking more ancient than usual.  Ginny was seated in a chair in front of his desk, looking utterly perplexed.  "Sit down, boys," he said slowly, "I have some news for you."

Harry sunk into a chair beside Fawkes' perch.  The magnificent bird cooed to see him.  Harry absentmindedly began to pet Fawkes' feathers.

"I believe that you both recall the location of the Order of the Phoenix?"  The three nodded nervously.  "Well, we have just received word that the place was attacked."  The listeners gasped.  Dumbledore spoke half to himself, wistfully, as he continued.  "I suppose I should have known better.  After all, the one called Wormtail was once great friends with Sirius and would naturally know the secret."  Dumbledore shook his head and addressed the listeners once more.  "But yes, the house upon Grimmald Place was attacked.  Luckily, few were present, as most of us- Aurors included- are currently at Hogwarts.  But the house was not empty."  Here Dumbledore took a deep breath.  "Mr. Arthur Weasley was on guard.  He was stunned almost as soon as Voldemort's servants entered the house.  He had only enough time to yell to the portraits and warn the others to get out.  They escaped.  The house was ransacked and destroyed.  And Arthur was taken."

.

The room was dead silent.  Lupin, standing in the corner, lowered his head in pain.  Harry was lost in an inner turmoil.  Had he now lost the closest thing he'd ever had to a loving uncle, along with all the rest?  But Ron and Ginny's faces matched each others, clashing horribly with their hair- their faces white as ghosts.  "Dad," echoed Ginny piteously.

Suddenly, someone else let out a cry.  Beside Harry, Fawkes let out a horrible screech and suddenly burst into flame.  Harry snatched his hand away from the suddenly heat.  All warmth that had given him comfort was gone.

Behind the desk, Dumbledore looked alarmed.  "This is unexpected," he said with a hint of worry.  "Fawkes should have at least 496 years until the next Burning."

Yet ashes were all that remained of the mighty bird.  A tiny, featherless creature poked its head out of the ashes.  It let out a tiny squawk and began to search through the ash for something.  With another squawk, it found a rock of some sort and began to roll it towards Harry using its head.  As the rock rolled, the ash fell away and revealed some type of brilliant red gem beneath.

"Out of the ashes, I will rise from the fire," echoed Ron quietly as Fawkes pushed the gem into Harry's lap.  Then Ron closed his eyes in pain and looked away.  He struggled to control his emotions.  Tears streaked freely and silently down Ginny's face.

The strange gem felt warm in Harry's palm.  It seemed to burn with an inner fire, conveying hope and peace not only to Harry, but throughout the troubled room.

"Professor Dumbledore," Ron said at last, his voice ragged and pained.  "What about Mum?  What about Fred and George?  And Percy even?"

Dumbledore held up his hand.  "Your mother was the one who sent us the urgent owl.  We thought it best to inform her children before the news was all over the press tomorrow.  She escaped with no harm, and is currently at the Burrow with all her sons.  But they will move soon, as we suspect the Burrow may be a new target for Voldemort's minions.  They will be guarded at the new home of the Order."

Ginny and Ron's faces echoed the pain they felt at their father having been abducted, their mother suffering, and now their very home in danger.  "Where will the Order go?" said Ron, struggling to form words.

Dumbledore looked directly at Harry.  "Godric's Hollow."

..........................................................................................................................................

AN:  In case you are Harry Potter illiterate, Godric's Hollow is where Harry's parents were murdered, mwhahaha!  This meeting will continue next time, on SPELLBOUND!  :D  Now Review Responses:

**Tsuki no Tenshi**- heh, well boys can still sneak into the girls dormitory.  Maybe.  No idea actually, but in my fic they can lol.  Naughty boys.  :D

**himesama16**- no, Usa has changed a lot since Remus last saw her.  ;D  She'll show up eventually, I promise.  I'll try to bring more SM stuff in too.

**Lady Light**-  lol, thanks!  this soon enough?  ;D

**Vittaria**- Well... just because the Trio thinks they have figured it out doesn't mean that it really will happen that way.  They will be expecting Rowena to come back, but will she?  We shall see...  mwhahaha!

**Maiden Genisis**- calm down, it's ok.  You're not meant to see how they fit in yet, mwahaha!  Let's just say, this is different.  No one is reborn and strolls into Hogwarts.  You might have gotten a hint as to how they'll come back with this chapter.  ;D

**Seren Lunar Echo**- I actually just saw it recently (at a drive-in movie theater!  SO COOL!!!).  But I was so mad about Lupin.  He is supposed to be cute and smart and timid and probably blond-ish.  But no.  Ark.  Don't like movie!Lupin.  :(

**Black Mage of Darkness**- not sure if I'll get to go to Manchester.  I sure hope so though!

**angelwings6117**-  Just like Gathering Starlight, there will be a search for the starseeds, as you have already seen begun.  And don't worry, Naru is not a senshi.  Her relation to all this will be explained eventually... but probably not till towards the end.  ;)

Thank you everyone!  Hopefully I'll keep up this habit and knock out another chapter before I leave for England in a few weeks... but I wouldn't count on it.  w00t!  Ja!

-Calli-chan


	7. Godric's Hollow

AN: Wow. Summer has flown, school has inundated me, and I'm temporarily breaking the surface for some air.

Or that's how it feels. I will soon be drowning again.

But England was amazing. I especially fell in love with Wales-- the endless countrysides, the sheep, the people, the language, the history. ::sigh:: And to top it off, when we were at our English homestay, we went to GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL (i.e. the film setting for HOGWARTS)!!!!!!!!!

It was amazing. We were staying in the town next to Gloucester. We took the train... it felt just like waiting for the Hogwarts Express. We hurried through the muggle parts of town. And then we were there.

My pictures didn't come out very well. I'm so mad. But I have been to HOGWARTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ::ecstatic happy!dance::

You should go. Like, right now. Actually no, you should read and review this fic first, and then go.

Enough ranting by me, enjoy the fic!

Last time: ( "Where will the Order go?" said Ron, struggling to form words.

Dumbledore looked directly at Harry. "Godric's Hollow." )

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Godric's Hollow." The words seemed to echo in Harry's mind. His parents' home. His birthplace. Their deathplace.

He couldn't be sure if Ron and Ginny understood the significance of the place, but he knew they heard him gasp. He refused to look at them and focused his gaze on Dumbledore as he struggled to respond. "Why. have you. returned?" he gulped.

"Several reasons, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly as he peered over his half-moon spectacles. "After Grimmald Place, the best available headquarters is in Godric's Hollow. Though the new location does not have quite as much protection as the Black mansion, the Potter manor has many natural defenses."

Harry couldn't believe his ears. "Potter... manor?" he said, dumbfounded. "But my house was destroyed!"

"Voldemort destroyed the home of Lily and James," corrected Dumbledore as Ron and Ginny flinched. "He did not know of the older forgotten manor."

The room was silent. Harry glared at Dumbledore accusingly. "I thought you were going to tell me everything."

Dumbledore lowered his head in shame. "One forgets that you were not raised knowing this already. Truly, Lily and James often forgot about the manor themselves."

"Forgot about a _manor_?!" echoed Ron.

"Albus, would it be better to speak to Harry alone?" asked Lupin tentatively.

"Whatever he has to tell me, Ron can hear," snapped Harry.

"And Ginny?" said Lupin cautiously.

"She can stay too."

"Very well," said Dumbledore as he adjusted his glasses. "It seems it is time that I teach you what you never learned of your family history."

"The Potters, though of mixed blood and forgotten ancestry, are an ancient wizarding family and traditionally well-off. Their home has traditionally been in Godric's Hollow. However, your great-grandfather was exceptionally affluent and loved modern muggle and wizard technology. He left the ancient family manor of Godric's Hollow in the care of some house elves and built a summer house on the shores of the sea. Later, your grandfather and his sons lived exclusively in this newer house."

"Sons?" echoed Harry. He felt that he couldn't take much more of this.

"James had an older brother," said Lupin slowly, looking down. "Michael. He became one of Voldemort's earliest supporters."

Harry felt his world crumbling in as Ron and Ginny gasped. He had an uncle on his father's side? His uncle was a Death Eater?!

Slowly Dumbledore's soothing voice penetrated his consciousness. "Michael's father, Phineas Potter--your grandfather-- was in school with Tom Riddle," explained Dumbledore. Harry noticed Ginny shudder in remembrance. "Before Tom had even changed his name, he visited a few of his more influential classmates and tried to turn them to his cause. He succeeded in some cases, but Phineas would not be swayed by his flowing words. However, ideals of "unity" and the "existence of the wizarding word revealed to muggles" appealed to young Michael. He began to follow and support Tom Riddle, but too late he realized what Voldemort was really planning. Poor Michael. He became one of many who could not get out. The Death Eaters tortured him to death for trying to escape."

The room was silent in shock. Lupin lowered his head sadly.

"The house by the sea was ransacked and taken by Death Eaters not long after Michael's death. In their first defiance of Voldemort, Lily and James saved a dying Phineas and apparated to Godric's Hollow. The aged man died soon afterwards, his spirit broken by Michael's death. The old manor was left to James, but Lily insisted that she wanted to raise her children among muggles and wizards alike."

"She was overcome by the age and the vastness of the place," commented Lupin with a smirk. "Besides, it _was_ crumbling in places."

"And still is, unfortunately," continued Dumbledore. "They left the ancient manor to the care of the house-elves once more, and built their home in a muggle neighborhood nearby. Later they helped found the Order of the Phoenix, and lent the old manor as our original headquarters."

"And now you will return," finished Harry, confusion and awe in his voice.

"All other places have been taken or destroyed," said Lupin sadly.

"I had no idea I had a house," said Harry in the same awed voice.

"Nor did anyone else," smirked Lupin. "I think James rarely remembered any house besides where he grew up by the sea. I found out later, through the Order, that he never even knew much about the house, except that it existed. He had only visited Godric's Hollow once or twice in his childhood. He never even thought to speak of such a 'dull' topic in school."

"Which will be one of our protections," explained Dumbledore. "No one knows of or remembers the existence of any Potter manor. Most recall the home among the muggles. Some recall the house by the sea. It is our hope that none will recall the crumbling manor."

"And none should speak of it," said Lupin, staring at Ron and Ginny. "Never in Hogwarts, nor anywhere until you are safely within the manor itself. Secret ears can easily listen without your knowledge."

"What about Hermione?" blurted out Ron suddenly.

"Ah, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore carefully, polishing his glasses. "I debated inviting her to this meeting, but I decided against it. We cannot have too many ears know. And after all, she is not directly affected by the kidnapping of Arthur or the return to Godric's Hollow."

"She's like a part of our family!" blurted Ron again before Harry could protest as well.

"Indeed. And she will undoubtedly be invited to the Burrow for the winter holiday, but will instead find herself led to this place where she will be safe among the Order. But until that time, I would advise you not to speak of it."

"You're asking us to keep a secret like _this_ from her for all these weeks?! Why couldn't you have just invited her here in the first place."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but when all other reasons failed, I realized you would need someone to help you with all the Potions work you have undoubtedly missed."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Harry's mind was a whirr as he stumbled down the hall. Ginny bade them farewell and hurried off to History of Magic. Ron and Harry didn't look at each other as they moved towards the Charms classroom.

How much had happened in Dumbledore's office? Mr. Weasley was kidnapped by Death Eaters. Sirius' house was taken. The Potter Manor. James' brother. Michael, a Death Eater. Godric's Hollow, the new headquarters of the Order. Don't tell Hermione.

And Fawkes. Fawkes had burst into flame. "From the ashes, I will rise from the fire." Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the strange red gem. The torchlight danced across its surface, but the gem seemed to burn with an inner flame. It was still warm to touch.

Was this the first solution to the riddle?

"Oh, you're finally back! You missed so much in Potions! Snape is trying to overwhelm us with new material!"

Harry drifted back to reality as Hermione hurried towards them. He opened his mouth to say something, but didn't know where to start. Ron acted similarly.

Hermione eyed them strangely. "What's wrong with you two?"

Harry tried to move his mouth, but a squeaky voice echoed from within the classroom. Hermione jumped. "C'mon, we're gonna be late!" She dragged them inside before either could say anything.

The warm red gem continued to rest in Harry's closed palm.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

AN: Sorry for the shortness, but I honestly haven't had any time to check in the past month, let alone write. When all this college stuff is done, I will be able to write longer and more frequently. But until then, please be happy that I chose this fic to update. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Review Responses:

**KoKo Belle**- mwhaha. Mina may be in the Mirror, but remember that it's merely smart fans than have realized what the enscirption means. Harry only read it once and forgot it. mwhahaha!

**Tsuki no Tenshi**- Hope this answered your question bout Hermione. :D Thanks for reminding me haha.

**Kitoky**- haha, enter moody!Harry. I need to do flashbacks for R/U, because Usa's taking to long to get here haha.

**angelwings6117**- yep, mina's in the mirror, but this will be one of those things that the audience knows but the characters don't realize. We may be shouting at them soon... heh. And I love Arthur. Sorry he keeps being hurt/kidnapped. He will be ok, I hope...

**Seren Lunar Echo**- YES!!! My Lupin is a moustache-free sandy blond too. :D Don't like movie!Lupin rarr!

**Heroine of the Valley**- yep, this is after the Stars and in the 6th year. I'm not a big fan of the 5th book through. GRRRR!!!!

**labellily**- ::cowers:: Err... sorry for the delay. I hope the Green Day concert went well. heh.

**Shi no Hakari-** yah, I should definitely do more flashbacks to the MWPP era. Thanks! Will be sure to include that in the future.

**MidnightGodess**- so many questions, I love it! :D I adore R/U pairings. Did you check out "Moonshadow"? You should. :P And the other pairings are still fluid as of now. The Seed of Mars was the first crystal found, as you have now seen. Wonder who'll be next. ::wink::

**Moon-n-Universe-Goddess**- eep! sorry for the shortness. I keep wanting to just get them out that I don't focus on the length enough. So sorry!

**shelum**- yep, the gem indicates the spirit of Mars, but I can't say more than that. :D

**MFlower49**- So sorry! Though I'm afraid this chapter may have provided more questions than answers.

**Maiden Genisis**- haha, Usa's return will be the big surprise. Sorry, can't tell. ;D

**Sunshine Fia**- Sorry no more Seeds yet, had to set the plot first. More soon! And yes, England was amazing.

Thanks also to:

**serinde miriel**

**momocolady **

**setsuna-3000**

**AznMetalHeadGurl**

**Sugar sweet **

**Lady Light**

**Sylverwind**

Thank you everyone for your continued patience and dedication. Ja for now!

-Calli-chan

P.S. For any LotR crossover fans, join SilverRose82's C2 group. On my profile or hers!


End file.
